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Underwriters Laboratories Offers CTIA Battery Certification Service

August 24, 2009 by Jeff Shepard

Underwriters Laboratories® (UL) announced that it has been recognized as a CTIA Authorized Test Lab (CATL). As a CATL, UL can test and certify cell phone rechargeable battery products and systems to CTIA Battery Certification Program-an essential requirement for selling to telecom service providers in North America.

CTIA – the Wireless Association® is an international non-profit membership association founded in 1984 to represent all sectors of wireless communications. The CTIA certification is an industry standard but also a requirement set by leading telecom providers for their suppliers.

The CTIA Battery Certification Program verifies the conformance of applicable products, including lithium ion battery cells and packs, chargers and adapters to IEEE Standard 1725 ™1-2006, Standards for Rechargeable Batteries for Cellular Telephones.

The program can be applied to single products or to combinations of applicable products as a complete system, for example, battery cell, battery pack, charger and host device (mobile phone) together. In addition to testing, certification also requires an annual inspection of the cell manufacturing site-a quality audit that will review management controls, process controls, quality systems and technical competence. A declaration of compliance with CTIA requirements is also required from the applicant.

"UL has more than 30 years’ experience in the field of battery safety, including hazards identification, test methods and standards development, such as the UL 1642 and UL 2054 standards for Lithium Batteries and Household & Commercial Batteries respectively," said Carlos Correia, VP and General Manager of UL’s Global High-Tech Business. "To anticipate changing requirements in the industry and be prepared for them, UL has a dedicated R&D team for batteries, working closely with manufacturers, government agencies, regulators, major technology institutes and accreditation bodies."